Chapter 22 - Chapter 22 – The Queen of Shadows

The cavern trembled under the relentless thunder of battle. Steel clashed against sorcery, and every strike sent echoes ricocheting into the stone. At the center stood the Orc Queen—her emerald skin marked with dark, pulsing runes, her crimson eyes blazing like twin coals as she summoned storms of dark fire with clawed hands."Brace yourselves!" Jiya called, voice slicing through the roar. Her blade flared with surges of pure aura, swinging wide to unleash blasting waves that shattered firestorms just before they could engulf the party.Veer hit the ground hard, arm aching from the residual shockwave. "Her power… it's on a different level." He struggled to absorb the chaotic energies, storing volatile kinetic force within, but the strain rattled even him."Focus," came Suriya's calm voice above the chaos. His hands moved with precision, skewing gravity itself, lifting stones, pressing invisible weights on attacking orc flanks. Efficiency and cold calculation marked every gesture, though sweat traced rivulets down his brow. Even his potent control waned against the overwhelming tide.Behind, Ashish stood protectively before Anika, shielded from blows by a body tough as stone. His fists flared as they smashed into an enhanced orc's chest, crushing ribs and bone. Anika's fingers wove shimmering threads of force, sending concussive bursts that toppled another assailant."Ashish!" her voice cracked with urgency. "Don't shoulder this alone!"He glanced back with a fleeting smile, fierce and sure. "Not alone anymore. We fight as one."Her confidence bolstered him, and for the first time since the chaos erupted, his strikes felt lighter.The Orc Queen's laughter echoed—a haunting, cruel melody."So fragile. So desperate. You think your sparks burn me?"She raised her hands, weaving illusions—three shadowed doppelgangers stepping free from the smoke. Black fire cloaked them each, flickering with malevolent life.Veer cursed, diving forward beneath a spear of flame, his shield igniting with protective light to guard Jiya."They're illusions!" he barked. "Their aura doesn't match!""I'll cut through them!" Jiya growled back, aura igniting bright. She leapt, blade cleaving one doppelganger into a scattering flood of sparks.But the Queen's true form swept in from the side, chants spinning faster, weaving an elemental storm that pushed Jiya back, fierce and relentless.Veer gathered his battered, leaking energy and hurled a focused shockwave that shattered the Queen's defenses, staggering her. Ashish took the opening, crashing forward with hammer fists, battering the foul sorceress.For a heartbeat, hope flared—they might bring her down.Then the Queen roared a primal scream that split the air.The cavern shook violently.From the shadows flooded wave upon wave of enhanced orcs—grotesque and brutal, their size and fury amplified by unnatural force. Their eyes shone with eerie glimmers; their forms radiated hostile power."They're endless!" Anika gasped, staggering as two orcs swooped in."Stay behind me!" Ashish bellowed, a stone sentinel shielding her from axes and blades. His immense strength was waning under ceaseless assault, his back bent but unbroken.Suriya's gravity traps pinned clusters of foes, forcing them into earth's cold embrace, but he, too, felt his power stretched thin, exhaustion creeping.Jiya's aura flared, each slash slicing illusions and flesh with ruthless precision. Yet her blade trembled, her energy flickering dangerously—the effort pushing her to the edge of control."Jiya," Veer urged, holding her flank with kinetic bursts. "Don't burn out."A grim smirk touched her lips. "Hardly started."Together, they forced the Queen back, her spells faltering under relentless assault. Suriya's gravity bound her limbs, Ashish's fists smashed her guard, and Veer's shockwave hurled her into cold stone.Jiya closed in, blade raised, aura blazing like the sun's heart. For the first time, the Queen faltered."This ends now," Jiya declared, poised for the final strike.Suddenly, the cavern rumbled—a deafening crack split the air.The ground yawned wide, trembling beneath their feet.From the fractured shadows emerged a towering figure, enormous beyond reckoning.An orc like no other.His blackened green skin pulsed with crimson veins, and embedded in his chest blazed a corrupt crystal, radiating a dark, tremulous power that warped the very air. His eyes burned with cruel intelligence, a predator king far beyond mere savagery.The Orc King.He raised an arm; the Queen crumpled to her knees, struck by lancing tendrils of raw energy from his crystal. Her wounds knitted in moments; her aura swelled to monstrous size, louder and crueler than ever.Veer's gut clenched. "No way…"Ashish froze, fists trembling with dread and awe. "She's… stronger."Suriya's calm mask did not falter—but his dark eyes reflected unease. "That crystal… it's alien."The Orc King's voice boomed, deep and terrifying:"You trespass in my domain. You have wounded my queen. Now, you will know despair."The Queen rose, aura blazing fiercely; the King stepped beside her, their combined presence as crushing as a mountain.The group, bloodied and exhausted, suddenly felt small as ants beneath a relentless sky.Far away, Aditya's eyes snapped open—the dark tide of overwhelming power revealing itself.Without hesitation, he surged forward in a relentless sprint.